Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Clear Vision ❯ Chapter Second ( Chapter 2 )

Clear Vision

A Seto/Joey fanfic by subaruxkamui4ever

Disclaimer: You might want to sit down for this one. I actually do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Can you believe it? I can.

Quickly, I'd like to say thank you very much to Paladius, Markyc58, and Kumori Sakusha, you all made me blush! I was thinking about it, and Joey is a little OOC, isn't he? I guess it can't be helped, since he's really too stupid to ever harbor feelings such as these. And since it's AU, I have to indulge in my fantasies just a bit. I began writing this fic because I had been searching for one just like it, and realized that no one was reading my mind and writing one just for me. So, I'm steppin' up to the plate, as you might say. I just hope you don't hate this one, because it's horrifyingly angsty and sappy. Just this once.

Oneï'¼twoï'¼threeï'¼GO!

"I love you."

I looked longingly into the face of the man who was speaking to me. He loved me. He would follow me to the ends of the earth, and stand by my side no matter what horrors or joys I would experience, until the day I drew my last breath. I understood this well, for it was the same feeling I had for him.

"I love you."

It was my knowledge of this that kept me sane, that gave me the strength to calmly stand with him, be held by him, even in the face of our own death. He held me so tight, and I could feel his desperation and sorrow at the way we would meet our end, but I knew that he would never leave, even now. The flames began to tease at my robe, but I did not move nor did I cry out. This is the way it should be, I thought, and at that moment, I knew that no matter what our lives in the future may bring, we would always feel as passionately about each other as we did in this time, in our last moments. "Sethe!" I cried, trying to be heard over the hissing and crackling of the fire that consumed everything around us. There wasn't much time left. The flames roared and spat, the waves of heat that washed over us were unbearable, and yet, all I could see and feel was him. The smoke that filled the room scorched my throat and lungs, made my eyes water, and before long my face was streaming with tears. Perhaps it was just the smoke in my eyes, orï'¼perhaps, it was the way he held me, gently but so strong, almost forcefully, as if nothing in the world could pry me from his arms. Perhaps both. He slowly leaned towards me, and kissed me softly. "Zahra," he whispered in my ear, "please, don't ever forget me. Promise me we'll find each other againï'¼pleaseï'¼" I could feel his breath on my skin, despite the drowning heat. It felt so cool on my skin, and I looked up, into his eyes and Iï'¼ I smiled. I smiled the most honest, open, and most joyful smile, and I truly felt it in my soul. It permeated my entire being until I felt as though I weighed nothing at all, and I was nowhere but here with him, wherever that may be. "I swear to you, no matter what, I will find you, and I will never let you go. Even if we are sworn and hated enemies, I will make you see the truth. You cannot escape meï'¼" I looked through his eyes and saw into his heart, and I knew that he understood.

And I felt truly at peace.

Laying my head on his shoulder, I opened my eyesï'¼and woke up.

Realizing that I really was awake, I sat up quickly and surveyed my surroundings. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. Glancing around for clues, the only thing I knew was that I was in a bedroom. A large one. The dark blue curtains hanging over the windows were drawn, and a few small streams of late afternoon sunlight fell through the folds, casting a shadowy red pallor all around. The walls were bare, the closet was empty, and the sole piece of furniture besides the bed I was on was a large desk, way in the other corner of the room. The whole area had an extremely sterile feel to it, almost hostile, but too impersonal to imply anything directly. I scooted over to the edge of the bed and swung my legs over to the floor, not standing up. After all thatï'¼I needed to think. Never mind where I was, the more important matter was who I was. Did I even know? Was that really me, in that dream? Now that I had finally discovered what had been plaguing my sleep all this time, I wondered if things had been better before. But if it all was true, thenï'¼Did Kaiba know? He couldn't, there was no way. After all, we had been in loveï'¼ As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I flung myself back down on the bed in avoidance. I desperately did not want to face that fact, but with every second that ticked by, I felt it more and more. Yes, we had been in love. Deeply. So much that those passionate feelings had indeed carried over into this life. Maybe we were displaying it differently, but still. Weren't love and hate opposite sides of the same coin, anyway? As much as I hated to admit to it, there was no real explanation of why we hated each other to begin with. We didn't even know each other. Or so I had thought. But nowï'¼

I opened myself up to my own feelings. I thought back to the dream, the memory I kept of my last seconds as my previous self. What had been my name? I couldn't remember. His name had been Sethe. "Sethe," I spoke out loud, testing the word on my tongue to see how it felt. It gave me a chill, sending a trail of goosebumps down my body. It also stirred within me a feeling, deep down, deeper than I had imagined anything could be felt. "Sethe!" I called, a little louder than the last, and the stirring turned into a surge of feeling that threatened to boil over if I did not stop. I couldn't stop, not now. I was afraid, so afraid, but my promise! I began to ache in my heart, feeling the pangs of loss after thousands of years apart. He must feel something! `How could he forget me?' I thought, which was quickly accompanied by `How could I have forgotten him?' I felt a sharp stab of guilt at that, which only served to upset me more. This was too much for me to handle all on my own, I needed him, and I always had. Nothing mattered anymore, all the suffering was over between us. I lost myself completely in the feeling and I cried out to him. "SETHE! SETHE!" I screamed over and over again, desperate to feel him near me. It had been far too long. "SETHE!"

Suddenly the door was flung open, and a tall figure rushed into the room. He stood there and stared at me, wordlessly. I was taken aback when I saw him. I knew, in the back of my head, that here in this world, his name was Seto Kaiba. However, I had abandoned all reason long ago. I saw through that exterior, into his soul, and I saw him. He was indeed Sethe, the man I had loved so long ago. Did he see me? Did he know my name? He stared into my eyes as I stared into his, and I saw him waver, as if he had lost his balance in my gaze, and I spoke.

"Sethe, it's really you," I said and smiled. A solitary tear slipped down my cheek and fell noiselessly on the back of my hand. He said nothing, only looked at my face, noticing my tears. "Oh, Sethe, please, say something!" I grew horrified as the confusion on Kaiba's face spread rampantly. "Don't you know me at all?"

Kaiba looked at the ground for a moment and sighed helplessly.

"What has happened to you, Joey?"

Ouch. Man, that sucks. Well, hey! What did you think? Horrifyingly sappy and angsty? YES! I wonder if there's a happy ending in store for these guys. I sure hope so. Anyway, rinse and review as necessary. I sure hope you're having at least one millionth as much fun as I'm having. See ya!